A Sacred Trust: The University Commitment of Faith

DBU's Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission Statement

The mission of Dallas Baptist University is to provide Christ-centered quality higher education in the arts, sciences, and professional studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to traditional age and adult students in order to produce servant leaders who have the ability to integrate faith and learning through their respective callings.

Vision Statement

Building a great Christian university that is pleasing to God by producing Christ-centered servant leaders who are transforming the world.

DBU Core Values

• Christ-Centered
• Servant Leadership
• Faith Integration
• Community
• Transformative Education
• Excellence
• Globally Minded

Core Convictions

All employees of Dallas Baptist University must be committed followers of Jesus Christ who believe the following Core Convictions and conduct their life and teach in accordance with them.

• We believe there is one God, creator, sustainer, judge, and sovereign Lord over all things, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are of the same substance and equal in power and glory. 

• We believe only the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible to be divinely inspired, entirely trustworthy, infallible, and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. As such, our convictions are drawn from this core understanding of the veracity of these sacred scriptures alone.

• We believe in the full deity and humanity of Jesus, the Son of God, who took on flesh, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross for the sins of humanity, resurrected from the dead, ascended to heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, will return in bodily form to judge the living and the dead and to consummate His eternal Kingdom.

• We believe that through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world, bringing death and leaving humanity to exist in a state of sinful rebellion against their Creator God; yet in His rich mercy, God sent His only begotten Son to provide salvation through grace and faith alone for all who repent and believe in Him and confess Jesus as Lord.

• We believe in the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer, through whom they receive regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

• We believe in one, holy, universal Church that is comprised of local bodies of regenerated believers, regularly coming together to form communities of worship through the proclamation of God’s Word, celebration in the practices of communion and baptism, encouragement through discipleship, and engagement through acts of service and evangelism.

Dedication to the Local Church

As commanded in the Bible, believers are to engage in the Body of Christ by being committed members of local congregations. With this understanding, DBU expects all employees of the University to be active members of a local church that adheres to DBU’s Core Convictions.

In recognition of our love and commitment to the heritage of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the President, Provost, a majority of Vice Presidents, a majority of the Deans, Dean of the Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, Dean of the Graduate School of Ministry, Dean of the Gary Cook School of Leadership, University Chancellor, a majority of the full-time faculty in the Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith, and a majority of the full-time faculty in the Graduate School of Ministry will be required to be active members of a local church affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

In order to maintain our historic commitment to the principles and expressions of the Baptist tradition, the remaining members of the Administration, including Vice Presidents and Deans, and the remaining members of the DBU Faculty, both full-time faculty members and adjunct faculty members, who teach in the Mary C. Crowley College of Christian Faith and Graduate School of Ministry are required to be active members of a local Baptist congregation. In addition, full-time and adjunct faculty teaching in courses that originate within the College of Christian Faith or the Graduate School of Ministry, as well as faculty teaching doctoral ministry concentration courses within the Gary Cook School of Leadership, must be an active member of a local Baptist church.

Christian Code of Conduct

DBU is a Christ-centered institution of higher education in its character and conduct, in its pursuit of scholarship, teaching, and learning, and in its ministry and service to students.  DBU integrates faith and learning to develop individuals who will be servant leaders in various professions all over the world. 

All DBU faculty and staff, whether full-time or part-time, are expected to conduct themselves and their activities in an ethical and moral manner that is a positive reflection on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and DBU, consistent with the stated Christian aims and mission of the University. 

To this end, DBU has developed a Christian Code of Conduct that is rooted in our sincerely held Core Convictions and Baptist Heritage and is required for all full-time and part-time employees.

This policy governs Employee conduct to help further DBU’s mission as a Christian institution of higher education. It is crucial that each Employee understand this policy clearly and agree to abide by it. 

Baptist History and Heritage

All employees of the University should respect and honor the University’s Baptist principles, holding them in high regard and deep appreciation, not denigrating or undermining them.

Founded in 1898, Dallas Baptist University stands as a testimony to the sacrifice and service of generations of Baptist believers who sought to build a great University that is pleasing to God. This rich heritage lays the foundation for the mission of DBU and remains a vital part of the essence of the University life and practice.

The Baptist tradition stretches back to 1609 and a group of English believers living in Amsterdam. Through the leadership of John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, those gathered declared that only converted souls made up the true church and instituted the practice of believer’s baptism as a way of both signifying conversion and also publicly professing faith and allegiance to Christ.

This new faith expression drew upon many theological streams throughout the history of the Church and that had developed in the midst of the Reformation. As such, the new Baptist Church, once they relocated back to London, drew up confessions to both codify their beliefs and demonstrate their standing within the Protestant community. Over the years, a number of confessions have been developed, demonstrating a wide array of beliefs and practices for those who claim the name of Baptist. 

Since its formation, DBU has relied upon the 1833 New Hampshire Confession of Faith to provide the theological foundations for the University. In addition to this historic Baptist confession,  DBU also cherishes and holds dear the following four particular areas of Baptist witness that have been expressed through the years, including the Priesthood of Believers and of the Believer, Autonomy of the Local Church, Religious Liberty, and Cooperation in Missions and Education.

Priesthood of Believers and of the Believer

Baptists have held that each individual is solely responsible for their own belief in Christ and devotion to Him. As such, believers have direct access to God through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit in order to have fellowship with Him and one another. Therefore there is no distinction in spiritual status between those serving vocationally within the Church and those who are serving voluntarily through the Church. In addition, each believer is a part of a congregation of fellow believers and in turn has responsibility to care for each other through mutual respect, admonition, and discipleship. 

Autonomy of the Local Church

Although Baptists cooperate for the purposes of shared mission, every local Baptist church is self-governing and self-directing. Baptist churches therefore are under no control from any outside authority and only recognize Jesus as the ultimate Head of the Church, both locally and globally. 

Religious Liberty

From their earliest days, Baptists have claimed that the state has no role in the convictions or practices of believers. As such, it is held that governments should not regulate or dictate either adherence to any particular religion or the practices of any particular religion. This conviction does not mean that believers should refrain from engagement in civic life, seeking to promote human flourishing through the guidance of Biblical principles, but it does mean that the government should not demonstrate favorability or hostility to those who are practicing any faith or no faith at all.  

Cooperation in Missions and Education

Although Baptist churches exist as self-governing and self-directing communities, Baptists have long cherished the tradition of cooperation concerning two primary issues—missions and education. These areas of ministry provide a common ground for Baptists and believers from a wide-array of backgrounds. 

Statement on Human Sexuality

As stated in DBU’s Core Convictions, the University holds the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God. As a result, the University is committed to upholding biblical morality in every dimension of campus life, including human sexuality and sexual misconduct. DBU’s Statement on Human Sexuality and Sexual Misconduct sets forth our interpretation and application of Scripture on these vital issues.

All DBU full-time and part-time employees are expected to conduct and uphold their lives and teach in accordance with this statement.

Dallas Baptist University holds the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God. As a result, the University is committed to upholding biblical morality in every dimension of campus life, including human sexuality and sexual misconduct. The following statement sets forth our interpretation and application of Scripture on these vital issues and will serve as a supplementary statement to the New Hampshire Confession of Faith of 1833, which codifies DBU’s interpretation of Scripture on matters of faith and practice.*

God’s plan for sexuality

God created people as sexual beings, making the first humans as “male and female” (Genesis 1:27).**  They were intended to “hold fast” to each other and “become one flesh” as husband and wife (Genesis 2:24), and God instructed them to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). God’s Word consistently celebrates the gift of sexual love between a husband and wife (See Proverbs 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4), but warns Christians repeatedly to avoid “sexual immorality” (Matthew 19:9; Acts 15:20; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18-20; 1 Peter 2:11). 

Thus, DBU upholds the biblical mandate that restricts sexual relations to monogamous heterosexual marriage between one biological male and one biological female. We apply this ethic to all dimensions of sexual experience including, but not limited to, non-marital heterosexual conduct, homosexuality, transgenderism, and pornography.

Non-marital heterosexual conduct

Because God created sexual relations to exist in a heterosexual marriage between a husband and a wife, the seventh commandment states: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Likewise, Jesus restated this commandment in the Gospels, further demonstrating its abiding authority for all time (Matthew 5:27; Luke 18:20).***  Throughout Scripture, this is a consistent theme calling God’s people to holiness and sexual purity only within a heterosexual marital relationship (Proverbs 6:32-33; Jeremiah 29:23; Hosea 4:2; Hebrews 13:4). The biblical plan for sex and marriage is clear: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). God’s Word celebrates sex within monogamous heterosexual marriage but forbids it elsewhere.

Thus, DBU expects all faculty, staff, students, and trustees to restrict sexual activity to monogamous heterosexual marriage between one biological male and one biological female. This stance applies to intercourse as well as to other inappropriate sexual conduct, including, but not limited to, the following: sexual activity with a person other than his/her spouse; sexual activity with a person of the same sex; touching, caressing, and other physical conduct of a sexual nature that is inappropriate and inconsistent with biblical teaching; the possession or viewing of any kind of pornographic material; sexual assault; sexual violence; and other types of sexual misconduct.****

Homosexuality

Because God created sexual relations to exist in a heterosexual marriage between a husband and a wife, the Bible prohibits homosexual relations (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-11). This prohibition against homosexual activity which is stated unambiguously in the Old Testament, is renewed in the New Testament as a part of God’s call to righteous living within the confines of the heterosexual marriage relationship that He created.

Thus, because of this Biblical prohibition against homosexual relations, DBU expects its faculty, staff, students, and trustees to honor this Biblical prohibition. DBU believes it has a mission to serve and educate students from a variety of belief backgrounds. While DBU students will be taught from a Christian worldview, they are not required to sign a Statement of Faith or adhere to a specific set of beliefs (an exception to this general rule is for doctoral students who, because of how they represent DBU in the community, are required to maintain certain faith commitments). However, regardless of their personal belief system, students are required to abide by the Student Code of Conduct regarding their actions. While this Student Code of Conduct does not prohibit homosexual attraction, it does prohibit homosexual activity, just as it does all sexual activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage between one biological male and one biological female.  Likewise, the Student Code of Conduct specifically prohibits participation in advocacy groups and/or activities that are contrary to DBU’s scriptural beliefs about human sexuality.

Because of the specific Christian mission of DBU and the importance of each employee in furthering that Christ-centered mission, DBU does require its faculty and staff to affirm its Statement of Faith and this Statement on Human Sexuality and Sexual Misconduct. Just as students are prohibited from all sexual activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage between one biological male and one biological female, so, too, all faculty and staff are held to this standard of biblical morality. Additionally, just as for students, employees are prohibited from participation in advocacy groups and/or activities that are contrary to DBU’s scriptural beliefs about human sexuality.

Transgenderism

Genesis 1:27 makes it clear that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”. Throughout the Bible, we are instructed to live a lifestyle that is consistent with our created gender in accordance with the belief that God designed each of us specially as male or female to be able to serve His Kingdom in a unique way based on that gender (Deuteronomy 22:5; see also Deuteronomy 23:1,18; 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7; Matthew 19:4-5; Mark 10:6). As David noted in Psalm 139:13-14: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (NIV). 

Because of this biblical mandate, DBU believes that God intends us to live according to our inherited biological gender as male or female. Thus, DBU requires that its faculty, staff, students, and trustees live in a way that reflects this biblical standard, including, but not limited to, the following:  DBU does not provide private transgender bathroom facilities and expects all students, faculty, and staff to use facilities that correspond to their inherited biological gender; likewise, students must live in the residential facility associated with their inherited biological gender; DBU also requires students who participate in athletics to compete on teams associated with their inherited biological gender;  DBU prohibits cross-dressing or other expressions or actions that are deliberately discordant with inherited biological gender; and DBU prohibits participation in advocacy groups and/or activities that are contrary to DBU’s scriptural beliefs about gender identity. 

Pornography

As noted above, because God created sexual relations to be expressed only in a heterosexual marriage between a husband and a wife, pornographic activity is in contravention to His created plan for sexual activity solely within the context of such a heterosexual marriage. Throughout the Bible, God calls his people to sexual purity and condemns lust (Matthew 5:28; Job 31:1; Psalm 119:37; Matthew 5:27-28; 2 Peter 2:10). Because the Bible condemns lust in all forms, DBU believes that the biblical mandate on this issue provides a prohibition against the viewing or possession of pornographic material. Within Scripture, we see that inward lust often leads to outward sins such as the act of adultery, destroying the sanctity of marriage and damaging our relationship with God. Not only does Scripture make it clear that viewing pornographic materials is a sin, but social science research has also shown that it is incredibly damaging. Viewing pornography leads to earlier onset of sexual activity, degrading views of women, an increased likelihood of violence against women, heightened levels of divorce, and a variety of other social ills.  Because of this, DBU expects all faculty, staff, students, and trustees to refrain from viewing or possessing any kind of pornographic materials. 

Conclusion

DBU believes that the biblical plan for sex and marriage is clear: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). God’s Word celebrates sex within monogamous heterosexual marriage but forbids it elsewhere. Thus, DBU upholds the biblical mandate that restricts sexual relations to monogamous heterosexual marriage between one biological male and one biological female. We apply this ethic to all dimensions of sexual experience including, but not limited to, non-marital heterosexual conduct, homosexuality, transgenderism, and pornography.

DBU is committed to speaking truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). DBU affirms the dignity of all persons as being made in God’s image. Thus, DBU will not condone violence, abuse, or bullying of any individual. While this document specifically mentions matters relating to adultery, homosexuality, fornication, transgenderism, pornography, and other sexual misconduct, the Bible also speaks about a broad range of issues that separate humans from God’s perfect will. We recognize that we are all sinners in need of God’s grace and that God’s purpose for us is to purify and sanctify us in accordance with his will. 

DBU takes great hope in Romans 5:8: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We rest in the truth that God’s grace covers all who believe in him and that through his grace he calls us to live lives of holiness. As Jesus stated to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11b: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” 

Adopted by DBU Board of Trustees, September 2018

*In keeping with Scripture, it has been the consistent witness of the Christian church throughout the centuries to define marriage as between one man and one woman, and this is also the particular position of the Baptist General Convention of Texas as stated in its 1982 resolution on homosexuality and reaffirmed in subsequent meetings.
**All citations from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
***DBU holds to the basic principle of biblical interpretation that an Old Testament teaching which is renewed or endorsed in the New Testament retains the force of precept and principle for Christians today.
****See DBU’s Student Code of Conduct, Employee Handbook, and Sexual Misconduct Policy.